1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to elevating platforms for vehicles and, more specifically, to an all-terrain vehicle having a seat secured to a platform that can be hydraulically raised to a level substantially above the vehicle by controls accessible to the person in the seat. The present invention includes outriggers that must be deployed prior to raising the seat platform in order to stabilize the vehicle and offset the increasing center of gravity as the platform is raised. The present invention could be particularly helpful to hunters who could drive to the location of their preference and raise the seat platform to an appropriate perch to provide a superior line of sight for detecting prey while also making it difficult for approaching prey to pick up the scent of the hunter. In the event that prey is shot and wounded the hunter needs only to lower the seat platform and raise the outriggers to give chase on his ATV allowing the prey to get a minimal lead. The comfort level of the hunter in the ATV is vastly improved over sitting in a tree or using the tree seats that are commonly used by hunters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous elevating platforms for vehicles. While these elevating platforms for vehicles may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. It is thus desirable to provide an all-terrain vehicle having the operator""s seat secured to an elevatable platform that is fastened to the vehicle by means of two opposing hydraulic scissor-lifts controlled by the seated operator. It is further desirable to provide an all-terrain vehicle including foldaway stabilizing outriggers to support the vehicle when the seat platform is raised.
The present invention discloses a hydraulic seat lift 20 for an all-terrain vehicle having the driver""s seat located on a top portion of a platform and the superior end of the hydraulic scissor-lift mechanism fastened to a side portion of the platform in a manner that would raise the driver seated on the platform as the hydraulic scissor-lift mechanism is extended and would lower the operator as it retracts. The hydraulic scissor-lift mechanism includes two hydraulically powered scissor-lifts located on opposing sides of the seat lift platform with each scissor-lift comprising inversely paired diagonal cross-members that are medially connected to one another with the distal ends of each pair of cross-members pivotably connected to the distal ends of the next pair of cross-members which can be repeated to form a vertically stacked series of interconnected cross-members. Each end of a scissor-lift has the distal end of one cross-member attached to a stationary scissor pin to remain in a fixed position while its opposite cross-member slides within an elongated recess on a scissor roller when an attached hydraulic lift bar is driven by a hydraulic piston to increase or decrease the distance between the two ends thereby extending or retracting the scissor-lift accordingly.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an all-terrain vehicle having a hydraulic lift mechanism that, when the vehicle is stationary, is able to raise a seated operator above the vehicle to a vertical plane of his choosing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic seat lift for an all-terrain vehicle having the driver""s seat located on a top portion of a platform and the superior end of the hydraulic lift mechanism fastened to a side portion of the platform in a manner that would raise the driver seated on the platform as the hydraulic lift mechanism is extended and would lower the operator as it retracts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic seat lift for an all-terrain vehicle wherein the hydraulic lift mechanism includes two hydraulically powered scissor-lifts located on opposing sides of the seat lift platform with each scissor-lift comprising inversely paired diagonal cross-members that are pivotably and medially connected to one another with the distal ends of each pair of cross-members pivotably connected to the distal ends of the next pair of cross-members which can be repeated to form a vertically stacked series of interconnected cross-members.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic seat lift for an all-terrain vehicle wherein each end of a scissor-lift has the distal end of one cross-member using a stationary scissor pin to remain in a fixed position while it""s inverted cross-member slides within an elongated recess on a scissor roller when an attached hydraulic lift bar is driven by a hydraulic piston to increase or decrease the distance between the two ends thereby extending or retracting the scissor-lift accordingly.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic seat lift for an all-terrain vehicle having a seat with a foldaway backrest that locks into a horizontal position flush to the seat lift platform and out of the drivers way while he is operating the ATV and can be locked into various substantially vertical positions for use as a backrest when desired.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic seat lift for an all-terrain vehicle having four hydraulic outriggers attached to the sides of the stationary lift frame to support and stabilize the vehicle prior to using the lift mechanism with each outrigger independently adjustable to maintain the seat lift platform and stationary frame in a substantially horizontal position even when parked on uneven terrain.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic seat lift for an all-terrain vehicle having four hydraulic outriggers pivotably attached to the sides of the stationary lift frame to allow the retracted feet of the outriggers to swing towards one another to be stowed in a horizontal position alongside the stationary lift frame when operating the ATV and to pivot back down and outward to an angle beyond a perpendicular position relative to the lift frame where they maintained by outrigger stops.
Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.